The Name Game

5:50 PM -- All credit to the IBM coneheads who opted this week to name their new intrusion detection tool "Billy Goat," a brave departure from the mind-numbing convention of "Acronym Acronym Version 8.9.5." (See IBM Launches Billy Goat Service.)

I encountered a great example of this last year, when software firm Check Point launched its new security gateway, the Virtual Private Network-1 Virtual System Extension Next Generation Extension, better know as the VPN-1 VSE NGX. (See Check Point Intros Gateway .) Kinda snappy, no?

I seem to recall that when I interviewed Check Point about the gateway I sounded like R2D2 whenever I referred to the product. It was a bit like speaking in binary.

So, for all you marketing veeps out there in storage land, it's time to find your product naming muse. I dont care whether it’s in a nursery rhyme, on a Metallica LP, or at the bottom of an empty pint glass at SNW. Just banish the robot-speak once and for all!

I thank you in advance.— James Rogers, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch

Organizations mentioned in this article: